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Commodore
Real World Definition Commodore is a military rank used in many navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a navy captain, but is less than that of a rear admiral. It is often regarded as a 1 star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always regarded as a flag rank. It is sometimes abbreviated as Cdre, CDRE or COMO. History The rank of Commodore derives from the French commandeur, which was one of the highest ranks in orders of knighthood, and in military orders the title of the knight in charge of a commenda (a local part of the order's territorial possessions). The Royal Netherlands Navy also used the rank of commandeur from the end of the 16th century for a variety of temporary positions, until it became a conventional permanent rank in 1955. The Royal Netherlands Air Force has adopted the English spelling of Commodore for an equivalent rank. The rank of Commodore was at first a position created as a temporary title to be bestowed upon Captains who commanded squadrons of more than one vessel. In many navies, the rank of Commodore was merely viewed as a Senior Captain position, whereas other naval services bestowed upon the rank of Commodore the prestige of flag officer status - Commodore is the highest rank in the Irish Naval Service, for example, and is held by only one person. In the Royal Navy, the position was introduced to combat the cost of appointing more Admirals - a costly business with a fleet as large as the Royal Navy's at that time. In 1899 the substantive rank of Commodore was discontinued in the United States Navy, but revived during World War II. It was discontinued as a rank in these services during the postwar period, but as an appointment, the title "Commodore" was then used to identify senior U.S. Navy Captains who commanded squadrons of more than one vessel or functional air wings or air groups that were not part of a carrier air wing or air group. Concurrently, until the early 1980s, U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard Captains selected for promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral (Lower Half), would wear the same insignia as Rear Admiral (Upper Half), i.e., two silver stars for collar insignia or sleeve braid of one wide and one narrow gold stripe, even though they were actually only equivalent to one star officers. To correct this inequity, the rank of Commodore as a single star Flag Officer was reinstated by both services in the early 1980s. This immediately caused confusion with those senior U.S. Navy Captains commanding destroyer squadrons, submarine squadrons, functional air wings and air groups, etc., who held the temporary "title" of Commodore. As a result of this confusion, the services soon renamed the new one star rank as Commodore Admiral (CADM) within the first six months following the rank's reintroduction. This was considered an awkward title and the rank was renamed a few months later to its current title of Rear Admiral (Lower Half), or RDML. The "title" of Commodore continues to be used in the U.S. Navy for those senior Captains in command of organizations consisting of groups of ships or submarines organized into squadrons, air wings or air groups of aviation squadrons other than carrier air wings, special warfare (SEAL) groups, and construction battalion (SeaBee) regiments. Although not Flag Officers, modern day Commodores in the U.S. Navy rate a blue and white command pennant that is normally flown at their headquarters facilities ashore or from ships they are embarked aboard. Definition in the Star Trek Universe Commodore is a naval rank, the equivalent of which is used by the service organizations of many civilizations. As a traditional grade, commodore is the most junior flag officer rank of a naval organization, under an admiral rank (usually under rear admiral) but senior to a captain. Commodores command groups of ships, as opposed to captains commanding single ships or units. In comparison to other ranking systems, this rank is equivalent to the military brigadier or brigadier general. The rank of commodore was used by Starfleet until at least the 2270s. In 2366, Geordi La Forge insulted Centurion Bochra by calling him commodore, to which Bochra promptly corrected La Forge as to his proper title. (TNG: "The Enemy") Use of the rank in Star Trek: Second Fleet Online The rank of Commodore in Star Trek: Second Fleet Online is the lowest flag officer rank offered and will be established when the RP's fourth ship is established. For the purposes of ST: SFO, this rank will be offered in the following divisions: *Command *Operations-Engineering *Academy Those holding this rank will be allowed to command starships as Tactical Wing or Brigade Commanders in ST: SFO, though most of those at this rank will be assigned to a Starbase. There has been a member of ST: SFO named for this position when the fourth ship is to be launched, but no announcement will be made until then. Rank Insignia History References *Real World Definition *Star Trek Definition Category:Second Fleet Online Rank Structure